New road safety calls after boy is injured

A teenage boy was hit by a car in Bloxham Road by Queensway and Springfield Ave on Wed 21/01/2015. NNL-150121-101808001

Published:13:29Thursday 22 January 2015

Share this article

An incident when a teenage boy was in a collision with a car in Banbury has provoked more calls for road safety measures in the area.

Police and ambulance crews were called to Bloxham Road yesterday (Wednesday) morning after the collision. The youngster suffered shoulder injuries after an accident involving a Ford Focus at the junction with Queensway.

It is believed the boy is a pupil at Blessed George Napier RC School in Addison Road.

Only on Monday afternoon a black Renault collided with the traffic island on the zebra crossing by the Bloxham Road/Springfield Avenue junction. The driver was taken to hospital.

Harriers Banbury Academy is on Bloxham Road and parents have been campaigning for that crossing to be made safer. Parent Claire Williams, who has three children at the school, said: “That’s the crossing I would use to get to Harriers but I’ve witnessed so many accidents there, and all the way down to Harriers, I’m trying to raise awareness of the issue.

“Four different schools are using that crossing, plus the Warriner which has a bus at the Easington pub.

“I’m fighting for Harriers but all students should be able to walk to school safely.

“It’s the whole of Bloxham Road and there have been numerous accidents – with two already this week. We need to put some sensible crossings in sensible places.

“I’ve also got children in Years 9, 11 and 13 and they have all gone to Harriers. This is an on-going issue and we are no further forward than we were ten years ago.”

She said her and other parents have been trying to set up a walking bus, which would see a teacher or a teaching assistant as well as volunteering parents walking the children to school.

She said: “We’ve spoken to the school to try to set up a walking bus with support from Oxfordshire County Council.

“But now the council wants the school to find a car park parents can use to park and walk.”

Speaking before Wednesday’s incident, Harriers head teacher Alex Pearson said: “We are in the process of arranging a parking area for parents to walk from but we have had issues in finding a suitable location.

“We used to have an arrangement with the Easington pub, but it has had to withdraw due to issues it has had.”

The school has also met with highways and Oxfordshire County Council to target those parents who live further away.

Mr Pearson said the school would be unable to run a walking bus as it would be too popular and therefore difficult for the school to staff it and added it may be difficult finding enough parents to volunteers.

Banbury Guardian readers have commented on Facebook.

Susan Lapworth said: “The junction on the Bloxham Road is so dangerous an accident waiting to happen. We need traffic lights here. Hope the person is ok.”

Jason Chapman added: “What is it going to take for adequate traffic calming measures to be put in place to protect our children?

“From the Easington pub down to Harriers, children are often caught in dangerous situations! It scares me.”

Adrian Day said: “I think that there is need for a footbridge or a subway on the Bloxham Road.”

Nearby Queensway School in Brantwood Rise recently had new electronic warning signs installed following a campaign for traffic calming measures after a car collided with a four-year-old pupil outside the school.